It’s been a busy, challenging and fruitful year for the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and I am sure our friends, families, supporters, and business leaders we serve would agree. While the business mood in general is positive many people seem well and ready for some rest and relaxation in the midst of the holidays and as we approach the end of this year.

As we enter into the final month of this year, we can’t help but be thankful for the challenges and successes of this past year that brought us to where we are now. We ask ourselves; what new and exciting challenges will the New Year bring? It is important to end the year with work / life balance in check and to enter 2017 with freshly charged batteries so that we may adequately address these new challenges. As we strive to be the best we can in business, I urge you to pay special attention to the most important areas of life, such as our health and spending time with loved ones.

The Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is approaching a milestone, 25 years of success! It all started in 1991 and 25 years later we are still here - bigger, better and stronger than ever. Over the past 25 years the chamber went through two name changes. In 1992 the Hispano Chamber of Doña Ana County changed its name to the Hispano Chamber De Las Cruces. In 2013, the name was changed again to what we know today as the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Your Chamber will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2017. We invite you to come celebrate with us during our annual banquet and throughout the entire year.

“¡Avanzando Juntos! Moving Forward Together!” and building generations of success has been our focus in 2016 and will continue to be our focus in 2017 as we celebrate our 25 years of success. Thank you to all of our members, volunteers and sponsors for making 2016 a prosperous year. Because of your hard work, dedication and support, we are able to continue serving the needs of our chamber members and community. Gracias mi familia!

This year, we not only welcomed many new members to the LCHCC family but we announced the Chamber’s first President and CEO.

We will end the year with the “Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Night” at the New Mexico State vs. UTEP basketball game at 7 p.m., Dec. 30, in the Pan American Center. We invite you to join us as we support the Aggies.

We know that 2017 will bring new challenges but despite these challenges, we truly believe that 2017 will be a great year as your chamber turns 25 years old. Together we can overcome any challenge, together we will succeed, and together we will make 2017 the best year ever!

¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero año Nuevo!

Richard Aguilar is the Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce chairman of the board.